1. Technical Field
This invention relates to absorbent materials and, more particularly, to an absorbent material including ground and dried poplar wood and peat, the material produced in the form of pellets.
2 Description of the Prior Art
The need for absorption products is vast. Oil companies require absorbent for spills on water and in their pipeline, exploration and production operations. Absorbents are necessary for the transfer of bulk liquids via tank cars or trailers to absorb nuisance spills and accidental leaks. Industrial and chemical plants spread absorbents under machines, along assembly lines and at spill sites for safety and cleanliness. Machine shops and aircraft maintenance and service areas spread absorbents over aisles and under machines for clean, dry floors. While the most visible of these spills and accidents occurs in oil spill disasters such as that involving the Exxon Valdez, it is estimated that every year, Americans throw away or dump used oil equivalent in quantity to 30 Exxon Valdez spills. Besides oil spills, there is a similar need for cleaning spills of all kinds of other chemicals, including gas by-products, industrial chemicals, fertilizers and other liquids.
Further uses of absorbent material include cat litter and animal bedding such as that used for turkeys and other farm animals. The major attribute that an absorbent material must have to be used in these applications is that the material must be odor absorbent, economical and non-toxic.
The present products of the art include various absorbent materials which obtain absorbency through use of a variety of substances, including clay, cellulose, peat, cork and plastics, each of which have various drawbacks. For example, peat and cork are more absorbent than clay and are biodegradable but are very expensive. Clay and chemical-based products are not environmentally sound as they are not biodegradable. In addition, clay-based products containing silica are hazardous to use and store. There is, therefore, a need for an absorbent material which has all of the following characteristics:
(1) Safe for people and the environment, PA0 (2) Easy to use, PA0 (3) Incinerable and/or reusable, PA0 (4) Capable of providing energy, PA0 (5) Economical, and PA0 (6) Is odor absorbent.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved absorbent material.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent material which is safe and non-toxic for use by people and by animals.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent material which is biodegradable and thus will not aggravate the problems associated with the use of landfills.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent material which provides a high liquid absorption to material weight ratio at a lower cost than is presently found in the prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent material which is provided in pelleted form to simplify use thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent material which is either reusable to reduce waste or is incinerable, thus providing energy through that incineration.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent material which also absorbs odors.
Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent material which is simple and economical to manufacture and safe and efficient in use.